UGC board.
Credit: IANS File Photo
New Delhi: The University Grants Commission has formed a four member committee to investigate the death of a student by self immolation at the campus of Balasore’s Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Odisha.
The girl had died by suicide after alleging sexual harassment in the hands of Samira Kumar Sahu, head of the Department of Education.
The panel will be headed by Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Professor and UGC member Raj Kumar Mittal, and include former UGC member Sushma Yadav, former Gujarat University vice chancellor Neerja Gupta and UGC Joint Secretary Ashima Mangla.
UGC Secretary Sudeep Singh Jain said that the panel has been formed to “examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, including availability and effectiveness of factors such as institutional policies, grievance redressal mechanism, anti-harassment measures adopted and student support systems.”.
"The panel will examine circumstances surrounding the incident, assess compliance with the stipulated regulatory provisions, and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future," he added.
The student had immolated herself on Saturday and after battling 95% burns for 60 hours, passed away. Her death has led to widespread protests after it emerged that the 20 year old had reached out to college officials, police as well as ministers with her complaint.